Wayanad’s Rain Country Resort: Dropping in standards!!

The belt of Lakkidi-Vythiri-Banasura Sagar is one of the most beautiful areas of Wayanad. And thus, this is one of the most popular tourist destinations in god’s own country of Kerala. A lot of diverse accommodation options are available to cater to this year-round tourist in-flow. There are tree-houses, up market resorts with pools and spa, private home stays and the normal budget hotels. Out of these, the Rain Country Resorts, located close to Vythiri comes in the ‘up market resort’ category. But, based on my recent experience, I would definitely not put this resort in the ‘up-market resort’ category.


In the last decade, I have been to this resort multiple times either alone, with friends or along with office colleagues. Over the years, I have seen a drop in quality and service at this resort, while the cost has steadily gone up. What was once a chic Ayurveda resort is today a glorified corporate getaway with sub standard facilities. The nearby Vythiri and the tree-houses offer much more for the same price range. Since this place is about 10 kilometers from the nearest shop, one is completely dependent on this resort for food. The food, is certainly very sub standard here and the service times can certainly test your patience. This is something that really irks me given the fact that there are no other options. Even the cottages, which once used to be built in tasteful style is now built using local wood, is not maintained that well and has lost the ‘immersed in nature’ tag. A quick walk around the property will show the huge garbage dumps lying around. Personally, I have seen a lot of deforestation around this property. What was once a paradise for tropical birds is today a measly reflection of its past.


I totally know the fact that the people of Kerala, especially the ones living in the hills, love their relaxed lifestyle and their afternoon siestas, but it is here that you see shoddy attitude with the staff and their total lack of interest. To me it looked like that the resort management hardly cares about its customers. They charge a premium and somehow manage to rope in the corporates who send in their employees on team bonding or off site sessions. Guess, they are able to fool in other first timers too. But, if you wish to listen to my opinion, I would recommend that you look at this place only if you don’t have any other options left. To me, this place doesn’t offer any value for money. If I were to rate this place out of 5, I would give it 1 to 1.5. I hope you would have got the message.